Beware of the book dragon!

I've had a much better reading week this week, whilst I've been doing a bit of good old r&r in Sydney! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 22nd of January to Tuesday the 28th of January 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Odriel's Heirs by Hayley Reese Chow 2. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin 3. A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer Books I've started this week: 1. Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson Reading goals update: 1/12 classics tbr 2/12 goodreads tbr 1/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 25 (this was on Thursday the 25th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 250 (this was on Monday the 27th) Total pages read this week: 1104 Average pages read per day: 157.7 pages

After reading A Curse so Dark and Lonely very late last year, I knew that I was going to love this amazing sequel! I felt like I could easily jump back into the world of Emberfall and I truly loved reading from Grey and Lia Mara's perspectives. I do wish that we had a little bit more Rhen in this one though! I found the storyline pleasing to read, and I felt like I could picture what was going on from each point of view fairly clearly! Overall, a stunning sequel to have had the pleasure of reading, and I rate this one a 4/5.

I've had a not-so-good reading week this week, as I've been super busy, but that's okay- life happens! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 15th of January to Tuesday the 21st of January 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa Books I've started this week: 1. Odriel's Heirs by Hayley Reese Chow (Advanced copy) 2. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin Reading goals update: 1/12 classics tbr 2/12 goodreads tbr 1/12 #loveozya tbr Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 0 (this was Thursday the 16th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 243 (the was on Monday the 20th) Total pages read this week: 698 pages Average pages read per day: 99.7 pages

A cleverly written story that had many themes including non-traditional families, political activism, and multiracial cultural perspectives! I loved how the book was written in the POV of both Maya, a muslim girl, as well as Jamie, a Jewish guy. It felt well-meshed and let me connect to both characters quite well. I did feel for Maya having a distant bestie, as that too happened to me at the end of high school, so that hit home. Jamie's perspectives were interesting, and I loved seeing how he got along with Maya. Can I just say that I too want a Jewish grandma who's insta famous too?! The use of modern social media here was really clever. Also, Gabe is a giant pain. 100%. Rating: 4.5/5 Thanks to Simon & Schuster AU for an early copy of this book via NetGalley!

Here's my blog tour post for the PAPERBACK release of A People's History of Heaven! A brief synopsis: A pre-teen graffiti artist. A transgender Christian convert. A blind girl born to an orphan stricken by pregnancy loss. A queer daughter of a hijabi union leader. These girls and women make up a small part of Heaven – eking out a modest existence from the scraps of the surrounding city, fiercely driven to protect themselves and each other from outside threats: those who cannot accept these women for being their true selves – queer, or transgender, or poor, or visually impaired. Subramanian peels back the layers of these interconnected stories with a tenderness that feels poignantly at odds with their daily reality: the silent, patient dedication with which the girls construct a barrier around their classroom, so they can focus on their learning, unmolested by rats. A group of children who collect bags of fragrant frangipani flowers for a poor young girl’s offering, so t...

Because of the air quality in Melbourne this week, I've had plenty of opportunity to stay indoors and read- so I've had a pretty decent reading week! Here's the stats for Wednesday the 8th of January to Tuesday the 14th of January 2020! Books I've finished this week: 1. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed (Advanced copy thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia) 2. Angel Mage by Garth Nix 3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab and finally, 4. The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus (Advanced copy thanks to Flux) Books I've started this week: 1. Soul of the Soul by Julie Kagawa 2. Odriel's Heirs by Hayley Reese Chow (Advanced copy) Reading goals update: 1/12 classics tbr 1/12 goodreads tbr 1/12 #loveozya tbr (Thanks Angel Mage!) Reading stats: Smallest amount of pages read in a day: 33 (this was Tuesday the 14th) Largest amount of pages read in a day: 313 (the was on Wednesday the 8th) Total pages read this week: 1237 pa...

Welcome to the first post in my new series in my blog! Here I'll discuss every Wednesday my week's reading and stats every Wednesday (for 2020)! This is for the week starting the 1st of January 2020, and ending on the 7th of January 2020. It's been a mixed week, but here we go: Books I've finished this week: 1. Again but better by Christine Riccio (continued on from 2019) 2. A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian (continued from 2019- review copy for upcoming blog tour!) 3. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell and finally, 4. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Books I've started this week: 1. The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus (Advanced copy) 2. Angel Mage by Garth Nix 3. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed (Advanced copy) Reading goals update: 1/12 classics tbr (Thanks A Room of One's Own!) 1/12 goodreads tbr (Thanks Wayward Son!) 0/12 #loveozya tbr (Stay tuned for on an update here!) :D Reading stat...

Banter, cheesy love, different family dynamics. What more could I want?! A cute story, which big banter between the main two characters, and alternating POVs? I was here for that. The story's underlying premise around family was deep and meaningful, and the character development was spot on for this little contemporary! I really enjoyed this one, and I rate it 4.5/5 stars! Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ADORABLE book!

A truly touching, thematic young adult book that looks at themes such as loss, bullying, friendship, race, and family. The main protaganist is a Latin-American girl, Izzy Crawford, who is portrayed as living in a mobile home park, in a low socioeconomic area in Virgina, America, with her navy widowed mum and younger brother Jack. I loved how this book not only focuses on Izzy and her family, but also her friends that are portrayed in this book, such as Audrey and her social anxiety and fear of being bullied again, and Roz with her alcoholic mother and abusive mother's boyfriend. These issues are thoroughly explored, as well as the issue of race, as Izzy and her mother feel like outsiders in the American community due to being Latinas.  I found it really touching that Izzy tries to rally everyone around her, including lost contacts to help build a house, saving her from that 'forever moving because we're poor' fear, which she tries so hard to hide from her friends fr...

A delightful read where a lonely and depressed elderly lady, Missy Carmichael, goes for a walk and meets new people who rally around her and try to help her see the positives in life. The emotions in this book were raw and heartful, which drew me in. I appreciated how many secondary characters helped progress the story, instead of just Missy leading the way through the story. The dog pulled at my heart as well, and was an excellent addition to the storyline. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I rate this one 4/5. Thanks to HarperCollins (AUS/NZ) and NetGalley for the eARC for this title! :)